China FM Calls on UK, EU to Help Defend Global Trade

China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, called on Britain and the European Union on Tuesday to work together to protect international trade as Beijing grapples with significant tariffs imposed by the United States.

While the US has applied a general 10 per cent tariff to most countries, China faces much higher levies, up to 145 per cent on numerous goods.

In response, Beijing has imposed tariffs of 125 per cent on US products.

In a phone conversation with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Wang Yi stated that, given the current “rampant unilateral bullying,” China and the UK have a responsibility to safeguard the multilateral trading order.

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during a press conference with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sybiha Andrii (not pictured) before the UN Security Council meeting on November 18, 2024, at UN headquarters in New York, marking 1,000 days of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Credit: ANGELA WEISS / AFP

The Chinese foreign ministry also indicated that economic and trade “dialogues” with the UK are being planned.

In a separate call with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Wang urged the EU to “jointly defend” international trade.

He emphasised that China and the EU should share international responsibilities by jointly protecting the multilateral trading system and collaborating to build an open global economy.

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